


Easy

by Woori



Category: Produce 101 (TV), X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Hwangmini are already college grads, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-08-20 23:55:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20236477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woori/pseuds/Woori
Summary: Yunseong and Minhee were former classmates, but never really talked to each other during their school days - until that one fateful day."Becoming friends to lovers is simple. One just has to take one step closer and cross the line."





	Easy

Rain had been pouring for about an hour already. Minhee was still in the bus sitting next to his two former classmates heading to the same destination as he was. He was somewhat close to them but they weren't in the same 'squad' back in college, so he did not engage much into their conversation. Besides, the two were probably dating now (if the intertwined fingers and heart eyes were any clue) so he didn't want to go thirdwheeling with them too much. So mostly, he just stared out the window, watching the changing scenery outside like he's in some sort of cliché music video.

“We’re almost there. Hey Minhee, you brought an umbrella?” Junho asked him.

_Crap, I forgot to bring one._

“No, sorry.”

“Don’t worry I brought mine.” Eunsang said. “I guess we’ll just have to hope it’ll cover all of us.”

They arrived after a while. The three hopped off and paused at the bus stop. Minhee wore his trusty hood over his head 'cause he doubted that the three of them would fit under Eunsang’s umbrella. Although thankfully, the heavy rain had slowed to a drizzle already.

They then walked off together pass the gates.

“I haven’t asked, what were the two of you gonna do here?”

“Oh. We’re claiming the ID.” the redhead answered him.

“You’re done with the registration?”

“Yes, last week. You’re here for registration then?”

“Yep. Which building were you supposed to claim them?”

“Building 2. In fact we’re almost there. Sorry Minhee but can I get my change now?” That was Junho.

“Yeah sure. Wait a sec.”

Minhee shoved his hand into his pants' pocket. While still walking, he looked down and counted Junho's change from the bus earlier.

“Hey man long time no see! What’s up?”

“Hi hyung!! Where have you been all this time?”

Junho and Eunsang had stopped walking, so Minhee paused to look at who they were saying Hi to.

He followed their gaze and found them waving at someone sitting under the kiosk at the right side of the road. It was Hwang Yunseong, their classmate. He looked pretty much the same as Minhee remembered; except maybe his hair which was a tinge more red-brown than before.

But Minhee wasn't really close to him either- more so than his two companions, so he just resumed what he was doing.

“Junho, here you go.” Minhee handed him his change.

“Thanks. Sorry Mini but Building 2 is this way-“ he pointed to the direction of the road where the kiosk was. “Are you gonna be okay by yourself?"

“Yeah sure. Thank you guys. See you!”

Minhee waved them goodbye and continued straight ahead.

He didn't know whether Building 2 was really through there, or they just wanted to catch up with their friend. Or maybe they just wanted to get rid of him to be lovey-dovey with each other freely.

_Huh. Whatever. I still have my hoodie anyway._

He looked down and watched as his pristine white shoes were getting stained by the splash from mud puddles. He didn't even bother looking where he was going because no one was really around much because of the rain. So avoiding the puddles was his priority and bumping into another person was the least of his concern.

He had just passed the next intersection when someone, suddenly, was next to him and the sound of the raindrops hitting something solid above him reached his ears. Minhee looked up to find Yunseong, hovering a pink umbrella over the two of them. _Pink.._

The older did not meet his eyes and just continued to stare at the road ahead.

“Hey thanks.”

“Yeah.”

Silence surrounded them both as soon as Yunseong finished saying his one-word response. Minhee didn’t know what to say next either 'cause they didn't interact that much back in their college days. They didn't know each other that well to have a normal conversation. They were only people attending the same classes back then; that was all there ever was between them. It was weird because Minhee was kinda close with his group of friends, except him and one other person. The other person, he wasn't close to because it was Minhee's choice. He's the kind of guy who would just stay away from someone if he thinks that he'll only end up being annoyed by his/her presence.

But with Yunseong, he wasn't sure why. _I mean, I don't dislike him and I kinda wanna get to know him but I guess its the other way around for us. He probably doesn't like me._

But the silence was killing Minhee. He was fidgeting with his fingers, uncomfortable. Despite them being almost strangers and all, he hated the kind of atmosphere they were in then, so he spoke up first; reciting whatever came to his mind without putting much thought on them.

“By the way, what are you here for?”

“My sister had something to do here. I went with her.” He answered in his usual, soft voice.

“Oh.”

“What about you?”

“I’m here for the registration.”

Minhee's voice hung in the air awkwardly, and that was when he realized that he messed up. So when silence was the reply he got in return, Minhee was already cursing himself for not minding his words.

_Crap. Can't I even start a conversation like a normal and sensitive person? Maybe this was why he doesn't like me. I should've just shut my mouth._

Minhee felt really stupid. He may have insensitively started an awkward topic, and he didn't need to add more fuel to the fire. Afterall, he might have already created a blaze in a matter of seconds.

Because the thing was, Minhee recently passed the board exam. The registration they were talking about was for being, officially, a professional in their country. The ID that Eunsang and Junho were gonna claim that day, was the Professional ID.

Yunseong did not pass the board exam.

Minhee wished he could take his words back. He wished he didn't have to remind him that he failed the exam. He also wished he could comfort him somehow, but he didn’t know how. He didn't even know how to steer their conversation away to a more lighthearted topic. Minhee did not trust his brain to come up with the right words, so he decided to just shut up.

_Yeah Minhee you better. Even if it means you would have to endure this silence and awkwardness for a wh-_

His thoughts were cut off when, out of nowhere, the other murmured, “Congrats. I never got to say that to you after the results came out.” Minhee was taken aback. He couldn't believe that Yunseong would choose to stay on _that_ topic.

_Quick what do I say then?_

“Thanks.“ he muttered. _Great_.

Minhee actually had a lot of things he wanted to say, but he didn't know which of them will be okay to say at this point. So he bit his lip to stop them from saying anything. He didn't wanna make Yunseong sadder than he already was.

Minhee sighed and just looked down_. I wish I had the rights words for you, Yunseong._

“I’m not okay.”

“Huh?” Minhee shot his head back up and fixed his eyes on him, but the other refused to meet them once again.

He continued, “You know. The board exam. You’re probably wondering if I’m okay.”

“Oh.” _Oh?_

“Yeah. It’s just so upsetting you know? I was only a few points away from passing, and only from THAT one subject.” Minhee watched his face and saw frustration and disappointment. He kinda looked thinner too, so he must've been extremely stressed.

_I can’t believe he’s actually telling me this. Really? Me??? We're barely even friends???_

Minhee snapped out of the little freak out skit with himself and loosened up a bit. _Okay, I should be flattered he trusts me. I guess I'll just have to listen to him then. He’s probably only letting these feelings out for the first time._

He looked down at his shoes before answering. “Yeah, I would find that frustrating too.”

“Yeah and to think that during the exams, I was so confident with my answers. I walked out of that examination room sure of myself. I was ready to yell with my whole chest that I was gonna be a licensed professional in 10 days. But as the 10 waiting days ticked off, the doubt also crept up. I felt it. I felt that I was gonna fail. It sucks.” Yunseong sighed.

“I’m sorry.” He wanted to reach out to hold his hand, but thought the better of it. Instead, he settled his gaze on the older's side profile.

“Nah it’s okay. I'm working on it.”

“So what’s your plan now?”

“Self-review. I can’t afford to burden my parents any longer. Hey we’re almost there. Initial registration's at Building 14 right?”

Minhee nodded.

He looked away from the other's face and turned to the front. Yeah they were indeed nearing the building. He wished it was further away, so that they had more time to talk. So that he can vent out his frustrations more. _Funny. Just a while ago, I had wished for us to arrive sooner._

Minhee really wished he could help Yunseong in some way.

_..Wait. Maybe I can._

“Hey I can help you.” he said before he could stop himself.

“Huh? With what?” For the first time that day, the older looked up and locked his eyes on Minhee's. He had a puzzled expression.

“Your review. We can review together. Actually, that subject is also my weakest point. I need to be good at it because I need, and I quote, _'competent knowledge'_ to land a job at my target company. In a way, we can help each other.”

“What? But-“

“Oh we’re here! Call me about the details later, yeah? Thanks for walking me here!” Minhee ran to the building so he had no chance to refuse. He rushed inside the halls.

Grinning, he stopped and peeked at him through the large glass panel overlooking the road they walked on. The glass seemed to be a one-way mirror, as Yunseong appeared to not to see him behind it. He stood there with knitted eyebrows; confusion drawn all over his face. After a while, he scratched his head and walked back.

Minhee strode into the office to get the registration done and over with.

_I just hope that he'll really call me later..._

\-----

It's 8pm. Minhee was in his room doing nothing in particular.

Nah just kidding.

Actually he was watching his phone and waiting for it to ring. He couldn't believe he was actually waiting for it when he wasn't sure if the other even had his number.

....But then it actually did ring around 12 am.

\----

"Hey remember when I said I'll figure out why I can tell you everything?"

"Yeah what about it?" Minhee said without looking up at Yunseong as he stuffed his face with chips.

"I figured it out. I realized I have known for a long time. I was just denying it to myself. I have recently accepted it."

"Really? So what's the reason then? And accept what?" He looked up- with a mouthful of chips and all- to find the older had a funny look on his face. He looked like he's about to laugh too.

_What's the deal with this guy?_

Yunseong made a face. "I ain't telling." He even stuck out his tongue.

_What the hell?_ Minhee threw some chips at his face.

Yunseong finally let go of that laugh he'd been holding.

"O-kay. Geez. I ain't interested anyway, Yunseong." he rolled his eyes.

The older's laughter abruptly stopped as he turned to Minhee with a serious face. "_Yunseong?_ Yah how dare you. I'm older than you."

"Yeah whatever Yunseong. Since when did you even care if I used banmal or not." the younger answered, unbothered by his 'angry eyes'. It was true. He didn't even remember since when he dropped the formalities with him because he never said anything against it.

Yunseong's expression immediately softened. "Well that's true I guess. Touché."

He smiled in triumph as he won their little banter. Yunseong only chuckled and ruffled Minhee's soft, black hair as a response.

"Anyways, you'll know them soon. Very soon, if I get my way." his expression settled to a gentle smile before looking down at his book, left hand lifting his pencil to continue studying.

Minhee only shook his head. Yunseong sometimes confused him.

They were sitting side by side, books and papers and calculators and pencils and chips scattered all over the study desk. It has been about 4 months since they started the review thing. They study in Minhee's room, since his parents wouldn't allow him to spend hours at another guy's house. He didn't even know why. And he wasn't aware that they were even conservative. He remembered the fuss when he dropped the news that he'll have to sleep over to review with someone. He shuddered at the memory. _Heh. What was that all about._

They only reviewed on the weekends, when it was Minhee's off at work. He got accepted at his target company eventually. He was able to pass their exam about THE subject. _Boo-yah._ He was bound to move out of his parents' house after Yunseong's boards. He wasn't that excited at the thought of paying his own bills, so now, he was enjoying the luxury of living free under his parents' roof as much as he could.

Yunseong was also working part-time. He studies on his own during his free time on the weekdays.

Over the past four months, the two of them got along exceptionally well. He never thought that he would click with someone as fast as he did with Yunseong. Minhee knew a lot of things about the other now, and he relied on him more than he ever did on others. While Yunseong on the other hand- as he himself had pointed out earlier- didn't seem to find it hard at all to open up to him.  
Minhee still remembered that conversation they had about three months past.

(Yunseong had been telling him the story about his dog, Petit, dying when he was in high school. He said he was so sad and cried a lot and refused to go to school and got his parents worried because he refused to talk as well. For three whole months. After the story, he had said, "Wow I don't know how I can tell you these things so easily. I've told this to no one before." Then Minhee replied back, "Really? You must see me as one of your friends now! Wow I'm flattered hyung." he laughed then, but the other didn't. Yunseong suddenly had a thoughtful expression. He had that look for a minute until the younger cut him off with another laugh, "Hey why so serious? No need to think about it too hard." Yunseong snapped out of the thoughtful expression he had and looked at him. "Yeah you're right. I'll figure it out though. I'll tell you when I do.")

And not to mention, that conversation back at the registration where he just blurted out his frustrations about the exam. The one that started this whole thing.

_If I went back in time and told my younger self then that Yunseong and I will be close friends, my past self would probably laugh at me. But look at us, joking and laughing like we've been friends for years. We are pretty much bestfriends now._

"How did you solve this one?" he pointed to item no. 7.

Minhee showed him his solution and explained how he did it.

"Oh. Nice. It makes sense now. Thanks Mini. You're really good at this huh?"

"Haha yeah I've been told a lot that I'm a good teacher."

"Yeah, probably a good kisser too."

Minhee's hand which was reaching out to the bag of chips stopped mid-air. _Wait what?!_

He looked up at Yunseong to check if he heard him correctly. "Wha-" he did not finish his inquiry as the older leaned in and touched his lips with his own.

_ OH. MY. GOD??! HE'S KISSING ME???! _Minhee's eyes widened as he felt the other tentatively pressing his lips on his. He racked his brain for a possible explanation why this was happening, but his mind was blank- except for the repetitive thoughts of _'oh my god'_ and _'what's happening??!'_.

Yunseong pulled away and wore a smug expression on his face. "I was right."

But his expression shifted and suddenly had a searching look on him.

He was waiting for Minhee's reaction.

_Wait let me process this._ He slapped his face repeatedly with his hands. He heard the older's fond laughter, but he paid no attention.

_Okay Minhee. Think. He just kissed me a real kiss. Not a smack, not deep either. Just in between. Now feel. It was _ _unexpectedly.....warm. And comfortable. And my heart's racing. AndIkindalikedit. Now say something._

"O-kay. Whatever that was, lets talk about it later. Lets study first." _Ha. I know I sounded dumb but what's new? Yeah, whatever. I already said it. I'm even glad I was able to let out a word._

Yunseong snickered.

"Haha okay baby."

Minhee looked down and felt his face heat up. _Wow, this guy. Since when did he acquire such brazenness?_

He tried extremely hard to read the next lesson. But it was kinda difficult when he had a sudden, mad urge to grin. It was especially hard when a certain someone was staring at him when he was supposed to be studying. Yunseong had his arms propped up on the desk to hold his own face in his hands, openly gawking at Minhee. _I can see you in my peripheral vision, you jerk._

Minhee gave in and chuckled.

He closed his book and looked up at Yunseong. He was smiling at him, his eyes bright, hopeful. "Okay you know what? Lets talk about it now."

Yunseong's eyes sparkled as he smiled even brighter. "Yeah good idea."

Fin.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y'all liked this?
> 
> Anyways, just came to say, Hwangmini, forever the superior ship! ㅠㅠ


End file.
